Don’t think that coconut water in bottles is better than that in cans. Some of our favorite brands are canned. Image courtesy C2O Coconut Water.

WHAT IT IS: Liquid from the interior of immature (green) coconuts.

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: The terms “coconut water” and “coconut juice” are used interchangeably for a watery liquid that is about 46 calories a cup (varies by brand; flavored waters are higher). Much higher-calorie products are coconut nectar, a sap from the tree (analogous to maple syrup); coconut milk, pressed from the dried meat of the mature coconut; and coconut cream, a thicker version of coconut milk (less moisture).

WHY WE LOVE IT: Another option for a refreshing drink that’s low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals.

Page 5: Coconut Water Brands

What We Tasted & How We Liked It

We have three pages of coconut water reviews, spanning 14 brands and a variety of flavors in addition to “original,” or plain coconut water.

The reviews begin below, and there’s a summary of brands in the left column, indicating our favorites as well as which brands are kosher, organic and/or not made from concentrate.

But before we get into the brands, here’s our testing methodology:

All coconut waters were chilled for a minimum of twelve hours before sampling.

No more than two coconut waters were tasted at any one time, with at least a three-minute “rest” period and the ingestion of at least four ounces of water between the tastings.

All coconut waters were shaken thoroughly before opening.

Coconut waters were sampled immediately after their containers were opened (coconut water, it seems, doesn’t keep that well, as a number of sources recommended consuming a container within one day after opening).

Some coconut waters have pulp added. A friend asked if that wouldn’t give the coconut water an unpleasant texture, as the coconut she’s used to isn’t especially tender.

What she’s used to is mature coconut pulp. The pulp of young, green coconuts—those used for coconut water—is very tender and has almost a jelly-like consistency (like aloe vera juice, which we love). There’s nothing to chew.

Overall Findings

There’s A Big Difference. Some coconut waters were too sweet, some too bland. And some, as Goldilocks would say, are just right.

Flavored Coconut Water. Because coconut water doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own, the addition of any flavorings, such as fruit puree or fruit juice, tended to overwhelm the delicate coconut water taste. I really enjoyed several of the flavored coconut waters, but the majority no longer tasted like coconut water. I doubt that this would be a problem for most people.

Real Vs. “Natural” Flavor. Without exception, I found the products with real juice or real fruit purée to be far superior to those with “natural flavor.”

Sports Drink Coconut Water. If your only experience with sports drinks has been with the best-selling, nationally-known brands, some of the coconut water sports drinks might be quite a surprise. I don’t habitually consume Gatorade and its ilk and don’t like them at all. But some of the coconut water sports drinks were light and pleasant, and not of an alarming DayGlo color. Is the fortification of coconut water sports drinks with vitamins, minerals, green tea extract, caffeine, etc. a good idea? You’ll have to decide that for yourself.

See the entire list of what we tasted in the left column.

The brand reviews begin below, in alphabetical order. Favorites, kosher- and organic-certified brands are so indicated, as are brands that are not from concentrate.

INDEX OF REVIEW

This is Page 4 of a seven-page article. Click on the black links to visit related pages:

C2O coconut water is a sweeter style, and a favorite. Photo courtesy C2O Coconut Water.

CocoHydro (Powdered)

Coconut Source: Java (Indonesia).

Kosher Certification: Earth Kosher

Preparation: Because CocoHydro is a powder, the serving size is listed as 22 grams. Per 22 grams, all varieties of CocoHydro contain 5 calories, 1 g sugars, and 7 mg sodium (no potassium measurement is given). For each variety, I added the powder to 8 ounces of tap water, mixed well, then chilled each glass for 4 hours, stirring just before tasting. All varieties contained small pieces of pulp at the bottom of the glass.